Widow Walk
Who Were “The Northerners” of the Pacific Northwest?
In 1844, a schooner called “Pigeon” was found adrift, empty and burned out, off of Maury Island in the south part of the Oregon Territory’s Puget Sound. The craft’s seven man crew was never found. Natives in the area attributed the disaster to an early morning attack by the “Northerners” who came on longboats. WHO…
Read More13 Things to Remember When Writing Historical Fiction
Guest post by Avasta Press Kelsye Nelson, the founder of Avasta Press, hosted a webinar with historical fiction author Gar LaSalle. Gar talked about 13 things to remember when writing historical fiction. He answered questions from the audience at the end of the webinar. Our favorite tip is number 13: Villains abound. Gar writes villains…
Read MoreItalian Translation of Widow Walk Now Available!
Guest post by Avasta team. [dropcap color=”” boxed=”no” boxed_radius=”8px” class=”” id=””]W[/dropcap]idow Walk is now available with side-by-side Italian translation. You may read the English on one side, and read the Italian version on the other. It is perfect for language learners! Italian description: A metà dell’Ottocento il Nordovest Pacifico, un vasto territorio fatto di foreste impenetrabili…
Read More“Historical novelist turns NW history into best sellers”
New Day Northwest, a show that airs on King 5 TV, takes a look at the award winning Widow Walk and Isthmus books, which showcase NW history in novel form.
Read MoreHow to Create an Award-Winning Book Cover
My book ‘Widow Walk’ won the USA Books News’ Best Book Cover Design Award in 2013. Widow Walk is set in mid-nineteenth century Pacific Northwest region, called the Oregon Country, which included parts of present day Washington state and Vancouver B.C. Author and publisher Kelsye Nelson interviewed me last week. We talked about the processes…
Read MoreWriting and the Splendor of Solitude
At every book reading and presentation, I have been asked questions about how I go about my writing: whether my process is compulsive/disciplined or impulsive/inspired, where I write and how frequently. My answer is that I am impulsively compulsive. I write when I have something to write and am disciplined only about preserving the turning…
Read MoreAnnouncement: Full Prize List for March Land Rush Campaign
Join the Land Rush to enter a drawing for a chance to win one of these fabulous prizes: [fontawesome icon=”fa-star” circle=”yes” size=”medium” iconcolor=”#a88458″ circlecolor=”#ffffff” circlebordercolor=”#e8e8e8″ flip=”” rotate=”” spin=”no” animation_type=”0″ animation_direction=”down” animation_speed=”0.1″ class=”” id=””][title size=”6″ content_align=”left” style_type=”single solid” sep_color=”” class=”” id=””][title size=”6″ content_align=”left” style_type=”single solid” sep_color=”” class=”” id=””]THREE-DAY WRITING RETREAT[/title] “There is nothing to writing. All…
Read MoreDoes Isaac Rest?
DOES ISAAC REST ? It has been rumored that spirits haunt the fertile Ebey plateau. Some have said that on moonlit nights, looking southward from the crest of the tiny cemetery where the headless body of Isaac Ebey is interred with those of many other mid-nineteenth century Whidbey Island settlers, a pale specter can be seen…
Read MoreBook Guide and Discussion Questions for Isthmus
Our publisher has asked that we add study questions for both Widow Walk and its sequel, Isthmus. Ten of the following questions are included in the paper back and e-book versions of Isthmus. Isthmus Book Guide and Discussion Questions: 1. The 1849 discovery of gold in California dramatically increased the travel across the Panamanian isthmus. For several years, the local…
Read MoreReader’s Guide and Book Discussion Questions for Widow Walk
At the request of our publisher, we are adding a reader’s guide with questions for discussion groups and book clubs. Ten of these have been added to the forthcoming paperback edition of Widow Walk. Widow Walk Book Guide and Discussion Questions: 1. Widow Walk has been compared to Last of the Mohicans and Cold Mountain. How is…
Read MoreTrappers: Life as a Northwest Fur Trapper
The Widow Walk characters Rene Marte and Ebin Cull, as well as the denizens in the Red Pelican Inn, are Northwest trappers. Marte is a “Métis” the term that is used for people of First-Nation and European mixed race descent. Cull is a former African slave who has migrated north. These characters are typical of the men…
Read MoreThe Pig War
Oregon Country: A Brief History of a Land Shared by the US and Britain Widow Walk is a work of historical fiction based on true events that occurred between the years 1852 to 1859 in the Pacific Northwest, then called the Washington Territory of the “Oregon Country.” One of the central pieces of history in Widow…
Read MoreThe Geography and Climate of Widow Walk and Isthmus
I anticipate that Isthmus, the first sequel to Widow Walk, will be ready for readers by this Christmas. The geography and climate of the two regions in which Emmy Evers and her family traveled were distinctly different. Widow Walk is set in the Pacific Northwest region, including parts of present day Washington state, the San Juan Islands,…
Read MoreWidow Walk Audio Book Now Available
The Widow Walk Audio Book is now available featuring narration by John Aylward via Audible.com, Amazon’s Audiobooks. Aylward’s brilliant narration brings a new, chilling dimension to the Widow Walk experience! Here is a sample from Chapter 12 The Widow Walk Audiobook is available here: http://bit.ly/1irMxsI
Read MorePreview: Widow Walk – audio book narrated by John Aylward
The following is an excerpt from Chapter Twelve of Widow Walk : Anah narrated by John Aylward Widow Walk, the audio book, will be available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble in February John Aylward John Aylward, whose eloquent narration brings the remarkable Widow Walk tale alive in a different dimension, has been an accomplished, well…
Read More